Saudi startup outlook to be explored at LEAP2023 

Saudi startup outlook to be explored at LEAP2023 
The Kingdom is planning to invest more than $25 billion to expand the technology ecosystem. (AN photo/Huda Bashatah)
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Updated 12 February 2023

Saudi startup outlook to be explored at LEAP2023 

Saudi startup outlook to be explored at LEAP2023 

RIYADH: Unique challenges that startups in the Kingdom face when trying to secure funding will be the subject of a panel discussion on the final day of the LEAP 2023 conference on Thursday.

“The Road to Success: The Journey of Saudi Pre-seeds Starting to Get Funded” will also explore the outlook for startups in Saudi Arabia over the next five years.

Elina Idrisova, regional director of Digital Transformation, who will be part of the panel, told Arab News that the sessions will be about “how government is supporting these initiatives in order to accelerate the transformation and technology adoption.” 

Successful Saudi software startup Elevatus will be included in the discussion. 

Idrisova said that accelerators in Saudi Arabia are actively supporting and mentoring early-stage startups to help secure funding.

The Kingdom is planning to invest more than $25 billion to expand the technology ecosystem, the regional director said.

She said that the session will also discuss ways Saudi startups can attract global investors and scale worldwide.

“I also want to highlight the exceptional support of accelerators and programs such as Venture Studios and different university research centers, which help startups to get more deep research and to understand the market well, to get to know how to conduct the right assessments and to create the product that’s really needed by the market,” she said. 
 


Bus crash kills 20 in Saudi Arabia’s Asir region

Bus crash kills 20 in Saudi Arabia’s Asir region
Updated 58 min 28 sec ago

Bus crash kills 20 in Saudi Arabia’s Asir region

Bus crash kills 20 in Saudi Arabia’s Asir region
  • The bus had departed Khamis Mushayt and was heading to Abha

RIYADH: A bus crash killed 20 people on Monday and injured 29 more in Saudi Arabia’s southwestern region.

State TV Al-Ekhbariya said the accident occurred around 4 p.m. in Aqabat Shaar, in Asir province. The bus had departed Khamis Mushayt and was heading to Abha.

Reports indicated that problems with breaks on the bus led to a collision with a barrier at the end of a bridge, which caused it to overturn and catch fire.

The Aqabat Shaar is a 14 kilometers road that was opened over 40 years ago. Its construction included cutting through mountains and establishing 11 tunnels and 32 bridges, according to the Saudi Press Agency.


Saudi crown prince, Iraqi PM discuss cooperation

Saudi crown prince, Iraqi PM discuss cooperation
Updated 28 March 2023

Saudi crown prince, Iraqi PM discuss cooperation

Saudi crown prince, Iraqi PM discuss cooperation

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani, have discussed ways to enhance bilateral strategic cooperation and partnership within the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council.

The officials also reviewed issues of mutual interest, the Saudi Press Agency reported early Tuesday.


Saudi Arabia’s wizkids of the future offered expertise on the appliance of science

Several short academic, international and research courses will teach budding scientists practical skills. (SPA)
Several short academic, international and research courses will teach budding scientists practical skills. (SPA)
Updated 28 March 2023

Saudi Arabia’s wizkids of the future offered expertise on the appliance of science

Several short academic, international and research courses will teach budding scientists practical skills. (SPA)
  • Mawhiba foundation has 12,000 places on programs designed to guide gifted students on career path

RIYADH: Thousands of students are being given the chance to find their inner boffin and get to grips with ethical and social issues of science research on programs by the Mawhiba foundation.

The foundation, also known as the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, has opened registration for several short academic, international and research “enrichment” courses that teach budding scientists practical skills and help them find a future path.

Mawhiba says on its website that the programs are open to “gifted and talented students of both genders” from across the Kingdom, and are intended as a first step to helping them “identify their skills and potentials” and prepare them for more advanced foundation schemes.

Taking part also increases the opportunity to obtain scholarships offered by the Ministry of Education, it said.

The foundation said that the academic enrichment course aims to enhance a student’s “personal and social skills… improve their competence and readiness, build their scientific and practical expertise and challenge their abilities.”

HIGHLIGHT

The academic enrichment course aims to enhance a student’s personal and social skills ... improve their competence and readiness, build their scientific and practical expertise and challenge their abilities. The research program teaches scientific research ethics, deals with issues surrounding intellectual property rights and sets students on a path to their preferred field of expertise.

The research enrichment program teaches scientific research ethics, deals with issues surrounding intellectual property rights and sets students on a path to their preferred field of expertise.

It said the programs use “instructors and academics who have undergone continuous training courses and advanced programs that keep pace with the best technologies and scientific discoveries.”

In-person courses will take place in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Dhahran and Al-Ahsa and will be complemented by virtual courses open to students across the Kingdom.

Registration is open until June 13. Courses begin towards the end of July and finish mid-August. Mawhiba said that there are a total of around 12,000 places on its courses.

 


Deal signed to promote cultural activities in Jeddah

Deal signed to promote cultural activities in Jeddah
Updated 27 March 2023

Deal signed to promote cultural activities in Jeddah

Deal signed to promote cultural activities in Jeddah
  • The initiative aims to run a series of cultural, intellectual, and training events in Al-Balad for young people while helping support and develop youth talent

JEDDAH: Officials from the Jeddah Literary Cultural Club and Al-Hijaz Cultural House in the city’s historic Al-Balad district recently signed a cooperation agreement to promote cultural programs.

The initiative aims to run a series of cultural, intellectual, and training events in Al-Balad for young people while helping support and develop youth talent.

Club chairman, Abdullah Al-Sulami, said one of the main provisions of the deal was to establish cultural and social activities, adding that the community partnership was a requirement for everyone “who plays a constructive role in thinking and caring for young men and women, developing their talents, and presenting them to a conscious and promising society.”

Al-Hijaz Cultural House manager, Mohammed Al-Hasani, said the link-up with the club would be managed by the Abqar Poetry Hub which offers monthly activities including poetry evenings and workshops for young talents supervised by poet and journalist Abdulaziz Al-Sharif.

 


Belarusian FM backs Saudi Expo 2030 bid

Abdulrahman Suleiman Al-Ahmad, who is also the Kingdom’s ambassador to Russia, spoke with Foreign Minister Sergey Aleinik
Abdulrahman Suleiman Al-Ahmad, who is also the Kingdom’s ambassador to Russia, spoke with Foreign Minister Sergey Aleinik
Updated 27 March 2023

Belarusian FM backs Saudi Expo 2030 bid

Abdulrahman Suleiman Al-Ahmad, who is also the Kingdom’s ambassador to Russia, spoke with Foreign Minister Sergey Aleinik
  • The host country for the Expo 2030 is expected to be announced in November

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Belarus met with Minsk’s top diplomat on Tuesday last week.

Abdulrahman Suleiman Al-Ahmad, who is also the Kingdom’s ambassador to Russia, spoke with Foreign Minister Sergey Aleinik about a number of issues.

Aleinik relayed to Al-Ahmad his country’s support for Saudi Arabia’s bid to host Expo 2030. He added that Riyadh would stage the event to a “high standard” and that Minsk would contribute any assistance required in making it a success, a Belarusian Foreign Ministry statement said.

Also on the agenda were development of political dialogue, the prospects for expanding trade and economic cooperation and investment interaction between the Kingdom and Belarus.

The host country for the Expo 2030 is expected to be announced in November, Riyadh is competing with Rome, South Korea’s Busan and Ukraine’s Odessa.